Phils batter Cubs to win series

Philadelphia Phillies' Darin Ruf, center, and Chase Utley, right, celebrate after Ruf's two-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2013, in Philadelphia. At left is Cubs catcher Welington Castillo. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

PHILADELPHIA — Their leadoff guy learned he was starting 90 minutes before the first pitch. Their two-hole hitter is on-par to finish with the worst single-season on-base percentage of his career. The Nos. 5 and 6 hitters were recently promoted from Lehigh Valley. And their eight-hole man might be headed out the door.

Somehow, that cobbled-together lineup embarrassed the Chicago Cubs, 12-1, Thursday afternoon to hand the Phillies their first series win since the weekend prior to the All-Star break.

“We had a good day today,” manager Charlie Manuel said, matter of factly. “Hopefully our guys had some fun. If it carries over, we’ll get some of our respect back, play better and win some games.”

Assuming the Phillies, who have won only three of their last 17 games, will snowball one win against an overrun team like the Cubs into a series win in Washington this weekend is naïve. That being said, Manuel’s bunch got some critical offerings from unlikely contributors – namely the kids in the clubhouse.

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Starting pitcher Ethan Martin, in only his second big-league start, picked up his first win in the majors by tossing five innings of one-run ball. The right-hander ducked trouble in the fourth and fifth with runners in scoring position to stay in the game long enough to qualify for the victory.

“This is something I’ve been dreaming about since I was a little kid,” Martin said. “I still got that adrenaline rush because you’re on the mound if front of 30-40,000 people, but (the butterflies) were a little better in this game.”

And Cody Asche, the third baseman who was called up earlier this month, connected for his first big-league homer.

“We both got up here at the same time, so we’re going through all of this together,” Asche said of Martin. “It’s kind of nice to have a friend that’s doing the same thing and it just so happens we did something special on the same day.”

It’s somewhat of a miracle that the Phillies, who have scored the second-fewest runs in the National League, whitewashed the Cubs the way they did. They ripped nine runs on 11 hits against Chicago starter Jeff Samardzija, getting a run from every position player except John Mayberry Jr.

This was the Phillies’ most-lopsided win since June 28, when they dispatched the Los Angeles Dodgers, 16-1. And taking two of three from the Cubs gave the Phillies their first series win since July 12-14, when they did the same against that other team from Chicago.

“Can’t ask for anything more,” Martin said, relating to his run support.

Martin had a point. The Phillies gave him enough of a lead that not even the green starter could cough this one up.

Darin Ruf and Asche, hitting fifth and sixth, respectively, had one-out hits in the second inning to spring the Phillies’ offense. Mayberry and Michael Martinez, who could be out of a job by Friday afternoon when the team needs to make a change to its 25-man roster, singled them in for a 2-0 lead.

The third inning brought more pain for Samardzija. Ruf smacked a two-out, two-run home run – on an 0-2 count, no less – to boost the Phillies’ lead to 4-0.

Still, Samardzija’s worst effort of the afternoon came an inning later amid a six-run, five-hit inning for the Phillies.

Martinez, spot-starter Kevin Frandsen, who played at first base in place of late scratch Michael Young, and Carlos Ruiz, who’s getting on base at a career-worst clip, got aboard and later scored. Domonic Brown’s two-run single and a two-run homer by Asche, the first of the rookie’s big-league career, buoyed the onslaught and sent Samardzija to the showers.

“I think my emotions are just a little bit more under control and when that happens, you can settle into who you are,” said Asche, who’s been in the bigs for only nine games. “Comes just with experience, I think. You have to learn that for yourself.”

Here’s a solid indicator the Phillies were experiencing an offensive outpouring: Even John McDonald, a 4-for-50 hitter this season before his eighth-inning at-bat, got into the run production with a two-run homer.

Maybe the Cubs are that bad. Maybe – for one day, at least – the Phillies were that good.

Or maybe the Phillies actually will be able to lean upon some of the kids next season, when the games matter than they do at the moment.